NEWPORT SKATEPARK

The 20-year-old Newport Skatepark is undergoing a major renovation that will add new features. The project is funded with donations from skateboarders, Rogue Ales & Spirits and in-kind construction services by Dreamland Skateparks of Lincoln City, the contractor. (Photo by Rick Beasley)

Posted Nov 5, 2019

‘Boarders, beer fuel redo

NEWPORT — Worn-down by two decades of radical nosegrinds and tailslides, a popular skateboard park is getting a complete makeover by a world-famous designer, a celebrated brewer and hundreds of ‘boarders.

Newport Skatepark, a 6,500-square-foot facility located at the southwest corner of Eight and Spring streets, is being refitted and updated with new features that will include additional 2,000 square feet of quarter-pipes and “street” elements such as ledges, rails and embankments to challenge and occupy skateboarders.

Mark Scott, owner and superintendent of Lincoln City-based Dreamland Skateparks, is the contractor behind the $43,000-plus city project.

“People from all walks of life — the neighbors, skateboarders, the city and Rogue Brewery —came together to make this happen,” said Scott, whose company designed and built the original Newport Skatepark in 2000.

While known for its iconic skate parks in the Northwest, including a sprawling concrete attraction in Lincoln City, the 20-year-old firm has built iconic skateboard parks around the globe in England, Sweden, Italy, Austria and Israel.

Danyel Scott, Mark’s wife, is the “master juggler” who coordinated the construction project with a series of public meetings, fundraising events that drew hundreds of skateboarders and a key partnership with Rogue Ales & Spirits.

“This truly is a community project,” asserted Danyel, who said skateboarders and neighbors helped pull weeds, pick up trash, clear graffiti and power wash the dog-eared park in preparation for construction activity.

Money for the project initially came from a series of fundraising events featuring Kevin Kowalski, a Rogue-sponsored professional skateboarder from Newport who literally grew up in the skatepark.

“This project means a lot to me,” said Kowalski. “The place was run down, covered with graffiti and had a bad reputation. Now it’s getting the TLC it deserves, making it a great place for the entire community as well as tourists who will be attracted by this great facility.”

Last month, Rogue donated $30,000 in projected profits from its new skateboard-themed brew, Dreamland Lager, to close a funding gap and get the 30-day project underway. Work is expected to be finished by Nov. 30.